Pillar
M&A Services
John R. Allen, III works exclusively with architecture, engineering, and land surveying firms on ownership transitions, and that specialization is what separates his practice from generalist business brokers. He knows how A/E firms are structured, how SBA lenders evaluate them, and how to present a firm's backlog and client mix in the way that gets deals approved. His authority in the sector comes from closed transactions, not theory: he is an NSPS Approved National Speaker, has recorded with the NSPS podcast, and contributes to ACEC state association newsletters, and his work includes guiding a 28-person A/E firm owner through a successful exit. When you work with him, you are working with someone who has done this before in your specific industry.
M&A Services
Most Engineering Firms Are Small. The Succession Advice Is Not Written for Them.
87 percent of engineering firms have fewer than 20 employees. The ESOP and large M&A advice online was written for the other 13 percent, not for them.
M&A Services
Three State Associations, One Message About Getting Paid at Closing
Three industry placements this summer: MALSCE, Engineering Georgia Magazine, and the ACEC Georgia podcast. What each one argued and who it was written for.
M&A Services
The Hardest Part of Selling Your Engineering Firm Has Nothing to Do with Money
The hardest part of selling your A/E firm is not the price. It is identity, the fear of the unknown, and letting go. Here is how owners work through it.
M&A Services
Ownership Transition for Land Surveying Firms
How land surveying firm owners transition ownership: the licensure wrinkle, the value drivers banks reward, and how employees buy in with SBA financing.
M&A Services
What Is a Management Buyout?
A management buyout is when a firm's own managers buy it from the owner. Here is how an MBO works, how it is financed, and how it compares to an ESOP.
M&A Services
Why Minnesota Engineering Firms Are Positioned for the Coming Ownership Transfer
Minnesota engineering firms face a wave of owner retirements. Here is why an internal sale to key employees with SBA financing fits the state's A/E firms so well.
M&A Services
Beyond the ESOP: Exit Strategies for A/E Firm Owners
The real exit options for architecture and engineering firm owners, from a third-party sale to an ESOP to a bank-financed employee buyout, and how to choose.
M&A Services
How to Find and Evaluate Confidential A/E Firm Listings
Most A/E firms worth acquiring never appear on public listing sites. Learn how confidential deals work, common deal structures, and how to value an engineering business.